The Blue Jays have one more opportunity to secure their third World Series title in franchise history on Saturday night at the Rogers Centre, and they may have a few advantages working in their favour.

No, it’s not ideal that the Jays missed an opportunity to close out the series in Game 6, dropping a very winnable game heartbreakingly. To the disbelief of the Rogers Centre crowd, Addison Barger was doubled up at second base on a line drive to left field by Andres Gimenez that looked extremely promising for a moment. Barger broke for third on contact, thinking the ball would fall in for a hit, but unfortunately, Enrique Hernandez got a great jump off the bat and produced a twin killing that stopped what looked like it would be a game-tying rally for the Blue Jays, at worst, and at best a chance to finish the series right then and there.

Instead, the game was over and the rally was dead in a handful of pitches, after they had runners on second and third with no one out.

As tough as that pill is to swallow, the Blue Jays understand that they have to wipe it away and focus on the final game of the 2025 campaign, and the first World Series Game 7 in franchise history. Both the 1992 and 1993 Fall Classics were over in just six games, so this is uncharted territory from pretty much every angle. That said, and despite the Dodgers picking up the momentum in Game 6 with a season-saving victory, I believe that the Blue Jays should have several variables working in their favour.

I figured I would start with the obvious one, and that’s the home field advantage the Blue Jays have enjoyed in this series, thanks to their 94-68 record, besting the Dodgers’ regular season mark of 93-69. The Rogers Centre has been a supportive environment this year, to say the least, and one that helped boost the Jays to a home record of 54-27 during the regular season, as opposed to 40-41 on the road. That’s a pretty significant difference, and one that plays in their favour on a few levels.

For one, there aren’t many turf fields around Major League Baseball these days, and it’s not something that every player is used to. For example, anyone who has followed this team for a while has watched an opposing outfielder come in too far on a ball hit in the air, which looks like a single, only to see the bounce go over their heads and become an extra-base hit. By now, I’m sure the Dodgers are feeling more comfortable, but it’s still something that the Blue Jays’ defence has a lot more experience with. It’s probably not a major factor by any means, but in a tight series that has gone back and forth, one play could make a big difference.

Secondly, and obviously far more important, is the support of the home fans. The Blue Jays have always had a strong fan base, but when they’re in the playoffs, and especially now that they’ve advanced all the way to the World Series, the bandwagon of Canadian fans gets filled beyond capacity in the best kind of way. The Rogers Centre is a difficult environment for opposing teams to navigate with that kind of energy, and there’s no doubt that the crowd gives the Blue Jays a boost at the same time, which is no small factor in a one-game, winner-take-all finish.

As of this writing, it has yet to be confirmed who the Dodgers will start in Game 7. Before Friday night, the assumption was that Tyler Glasnow would be on the hill if Game 7 was needed, but he ended up making a brief relief appearance in Game 6 to close the door in the ninth inning. He only threw a handful of pitches on Friday, so I’m sure he’ll be available if and when he’s needed, but I think there’s a more likely answer in Shohei Ohtani.

The biggest reason many people expect Ohtani to start the game is that it makes the most sense as far as managing his spot in the lineup. Thanks to the rules for two-way players like the Japanese phenom, Ohtani can start the game as a pitcher and hit for himself, then remain in the game as a DH after he’s done throwing for the day. Alternatively, if he pitches out of the bullpen and they replace him at any point with another reliever, the Dodgers would lose the DH spot. For that reason, my best guess is that Ohtani starts the game and pitches as long as he can on short rest, and then maybe hands the ball to some combination of Glasnow, Blake Snell, and whoever Dave Roberts still trusts out of the bullpen.

In my mind, this could be a potential advantage for the Blue Jays simply due to the comparison in workload for the likely arms used on both sides.

Don’t get me wrong, the Jays have plenty of tired pitchers as well, but it seems to me that they should be in a better place than Roberts’ pitching staff. If they use Snell, he’ll be on two days’ rest, and Glasnow’s Friday appearance makes his availability a little unusual, although I’m sure not something they’ll balk at with just one game left. Ohtani himself would be starting on three days’ rest, and that includes having served as the DH on those “rest” days. At this point, I think it’s pretty indisputable that he’s the best player in the world, but he’s still human, and he’s gotta be wearing down at this point.

Scherzer, on the other hand, has had a pretty light workload during the postseason and will get the chance to work with regular rest ahead of Game 7.

The future Hall of Famer has looked solid on the mound more recently, and there’s no doubt that he’ll lean on his big-game experience to help him in this crucial match-up. Typically, I’ll reluctantly admit that Ohtani vs. Scherzer would be an advantage for the Dodgers, but given all of the circumstances at play ahead of Saturday’s season finale, I’m more inclined to give a razor-thin edge to the Blue Jays this time. That’s especially the case once the starters are out and the managers have to work with bullpen match-ups the rest of the way.

The Blue Jays will have a fresh Jeff Hoffman, who didn’t pitch in Game 6, the rest of their higher-leverage arms available, and probably Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage as well.

They still have to perform, but there should be a little more gas in the tank on the Blue Jays’ side.

While there’s no doubt that having Shohei Ohtani on the opposing side of this series has been a challenge for John Schneider and Peter Walker to navigate, I would argue that they still have the hottest hitter in the series on their team.

It takes a lot to best the heroics of what Ohtani has done to keep the Dodgers in this showdown, but Guerrero Jr. has been just as valuable or more so in getting the Blue Jays one win away from a World Series title. He’ll enter the final game of the postseason with a slash line of .412/.506/.824 and a franchise playoff record eight home runs and 15 RBIs. He’s been doing damage consistently throughout every round and against every opponent, and he’s continued to find success at the plate against the Dodgers as well, including against Ohtani in Game 4.

Anything can happen in what has become a one-game series, but I really do believe that Guerrero’s red-hot bat could be the difference in the final round of this bout, especially when you consider what the Dodgers are asking from a guy like Ohtani. Of course, one player doesn’t win a ball game, and every player who appears on the box score from Saturday night’s game has the chance to be a World Series hero.

As John Schneider said to reporters after Game 6, “It’s Game 7 of the World Series at your home stadium. What the hell else could you want?”. The only answer I have left is: one more win.